3 Simple Ways to Meditate

One of the most important things we can do for ourselves is daily meditation. Meditation is when we set aside sacred time to fill our hearts and feed our souls. It’s also the best way to get centered with a clear mind before we start our day. But before we discuss the “how” of meditation, let’s discuss the “why”.

The way that you start your day will dramatically affect the way that your day turns out. If you start the day in a frantic, rushed, unconscious manner, the rest of your day can unfold in an equally stressful way.

On the other hand, if you start your day in a calm, centered fashion, you are much more likely to be able to maintain that center throughout the day.

Think of it this way. When you get up in the morning, you set up a trajectory of consciousness, based on your state of mind. Your energy, thoughts, and emotions are likely to follow that trajectory. It’s like throwing a ball. Wherever you aim the ball when you exert that energy, the ball will definitely follow that path.

If your thoughts are haphazard, negative, or ungrounded, you are likely to see the effects of that throughout the day. Meditation is a way to take stock of your consciousness, and set the course for the day that you really want. It’s a way to determine the best possible trajectory for your ongoing state of mind.

What if I don’t have time to meditate?

Many people feel that they don’t have time to meditate because they can’t add one more thing to their to-do list. But being centered through meditation can actually calm your mind and make you much more efficient with your time overall.

Time can be rather elastic, if you are conscious. When you are clear, grounded, and centered, you would be amazed at how much more you can accomplish in less time.

The more frantic you are, the more overwhelmed you will feel. The more overwhelmed you feel, the less likely you are to get things done. So taking a short time to quiet your mind and calm your emotions, might save you time in the long run. Plus it can dramatically improve your quality of life overall, and help you to feel a lot less reactive.

Decide if it is worth it to spend 10 to 15 minutes each morning (or more if you like), in order to improve the quality of your entire day. If you still feel that it is literally impossible to do this in the morning, then see if you can make time later in the day.

Whatever you decide, it is important to schedule your time to meditate, otherwise other things are likely to come in the way.

So let’s now discuss 3 examples of simple ways to meditate. There are many more, but these can get you started.

1 – The Sacred Space Meditation

The Sacred Space meditation is perfect for those who find it difficult to sit quietly with their eyes close for an extended period of time. This is perhaps the easiest and most creative of meditations, and is a good prelude to help you establish a habit of daily centering and reflection.

In case you thought the only way to meditate is to sit still in a yoga position with your eyes closed, here are some dictionary definitions of other forms of meditation. This gives you an idea of how broad, creative, and personal meditation can be:

to reflect upon; study; ponder

to plan or intend

to think deeply; reflect; muse

The Sacred Space meditation is a great way to begin your day, and set your intentions consciously.

Here are the simple steps for this meditation:

Schedule the amount of time that you are willing to spend.

Decide where and when your sacred space will be. It can be a comfy chair, a private room, or even sitting outdoors in nice weather.

Do some simple things to create an ambiance of quiet reflection. Light a candle. Play some peaceful music. You can also add aromatherapy or incense, if you like. Make sure to turn off all distractions.

You can choose from any number of activities to focus your thoughts and feelings in a positive direction. Here are some examples:

Write in a gratitude journal

Write your goals for the day. What kind of day do you want to have?

Write and say affirmations

Read an inspiring or spiritual book

Relax and set your intention for the day

Draw and/or write in a journal

Anything else you can think of that puts you in a positive, grounded state of mind

2 – The Heart Light Meditation

This is a simple meditation to practice going within, and feeling the peace and calmness that naturally resides in your heart. This meditation will help you to consciously establish your heart center in your experience. Here are the simple steps:

First stretch to release any tension.

Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and focus on your breath.

Notice how the gentle movement of your breath mimics the movement of ocean waves moving in and out from the shore. You are deeply connected to the Earth.

Each time you inhale, visualize breathing in a soft, comforting, peaceful white light that fills your heart center. This light is the light of Divine Love.

Each time you exhale, visualize that same gentle light radiating out from your heart, beyond your body, in all directions, and amplifying its energy.

As you breathe in this way, your frequency will begin to rise and you will start to feel more grounded and calm.

When you are finished, open your eyes and try to hold that peaceful, grounded feeling as you go through your day.

If you find that you have trouble being distracted by your thoughts when you do this, play some gentle meditation music and focus on listening to the music. This is an easy way to quiet your mind.

3 – Chakra Centering Meditation

This is an easy way to align your energy and feel centered. Chakras are energy centers in our bodies that supply us with life force energy and keep us functioning in energetically harmonious ways.

Following is a diagram of the seven main chakras in the human body, and where they are located:

Here are the easy steps for a chakra centering meditation:

Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and take some deep, cleansing breaths. Relax.

Start by focusing on the area at the base of your spine where your root chakra is located. Imagine a brilliant red light in this area. Picture that light energizing and revitalizing that chakra. Linger here as long as you want.

Now repeat the same thing with each of the other six chakras, while visualizing their corresponding colors, and work your way up to the top of your head where your crown chakra is located.

Here are the colors associated with each chakra:

Red – root chakra

Orange – sacral chakra

Yellow – solar plexus chakra

Green – heart chakra

Blue – throat chakra

Indigo – third eye chakra

Violet – crown chakra

4. When you have gone through all seven chakras in order, take a deep breath and picture your whole body filled with white light.

Open your eyes, stretch, and enjoy the energized feeling!

Some Extra Tips

These are only a few of the countless ways there are to meditate. These 3 examples can be done simply and in a short period of time. Of course, you can always extend the time, if you so desire.

Even though morning is the best time to meditate, you can still do these at any time of the day.

I strongly recommend that you schedule the time to meditate, and consider that time to be as important as eating and sleeping are to your overall well-being. Feeding your soul and connecting with your heart are just as important as caring for your physical body.

Once you have established the habit of daily meditation, you can expand on some of these ideas in your own creative way. If you want to take extra time, you can also combine these. Start by creating a Sacred Space environment, then do the Chakra Centering meditation, and finish with the Heart Light meditation. The most important thing is consistency, if you want to receive the full benefits.

Try to regard your time to meditate as a beautiful, daily treat for yourself. Make it something that you enjoy and look forward to! Remember that enjoyment is the best motivator.

Meditation is an act of self-love. It shows respect and regard for your spirit. It will make you a more loving person, and encourage a vibration in you that helps others to feel better just being around you.

Namasté and have a blessed experience!

How do you feel about the idea of daily meditation? Have you tried it, or is this new for you? Share your thoughts with me in the comments below.

I also put together some quick notes for you with the steps for each of these meditations, so you can try them out. Just click the box below to download the easy instructions!

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11 comments on “3 Simple Ways to Meditate”

Thank you for making it so easy for me to mediate. I sometimes get distracted and your helpful suggestions will guide me throughout my process.
Looking forward to your other insights into mediation.
Antoinette

Hi Saratoga,
I was meditating a regular basis for a few months and felt a great difference in a lot of things including concentration, harmony, peace, focus, productivity and more. Then I hit a rough patch and didn’t meditate for more than 2 weeks. I recently noticed I was struggling with a lot of doubt and negativity which hadn’t been there before, at least not while I was meditating. just reading this blog made me realize how much I miss it and need it; I realize now it really is the lifeline for our soul to divine love. This was a very illuminating experience, but one I don,t want to repeat! I am so grateful to receive these exercises, i have a renewed commitment to get up early to meditate. Thank you! Perfect timing as usual ;), sending you lots of Love and ♢♡♢

Barb, thank you so much for this awesome testimonial about the benefits of meditation! I’m sure this will help others who read it.

I totally understand what you’re saying about forgetting how important it is. It’s like when you don’t do it for awhile, you think it’s fine because you forget the feeling. You lose contact with your inner self, so you don’t remember what it means to you.

Then when you start again, it’s like “Oh my goodness – I forgot how great this was!”

And I do agree that meditation really is a lifeline. Thanks again for your great comment 🙂

Thanks Saratoga… I realized just tonight that in addition to all thst, I had stopped writing!
I did the Heart light meditation last night and the Chakra one this morning and am feeling a little more normal today. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I’ve been meditating since I was 18. I started with TM (Transcendental Meditation) with a private mantra (which I still use a lot) and have always felt it to be very grounding and supportive of my life experience. I used to meditate twice a day for 20 minutes/each. I believe that it has also assisted me with my general physical health… as my health is fantastic for where I am in life. Apparently, meditation is supposed to lower your basal metabolic rate–so aside from the incredible spiritual benefits, it helps tremendously with the physical body as not only does it calm your mind, but the physical body benefits a great deal, or so has been my experience cumulatively over time.

I am most grateful for these “new techniques” that you are sharing. I recently completed a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction 8-week online course. It was amazing! and tuned me into using the breath more in my meditation, which has proved most valuable. It also helped me regulate my morning practice to support being consistent each day. But lately I’ve been experiencing the “on/off” situation, so I greatly appreciate the guidance you’re offering here. I find when my life issues escalate I find it harder to calm my system enough to even sit down and consciously “stop” and tune into me! Ironically when I need to meditate the most it’s hardest to do!

And thank you for reminding me about Chakra Meditation–it is really energizing! I’m also feeling that not always doing the same meditation is most useful for expanding my life experience as different techniques tune me into different energetic levels in my life.

So a huge THANK YOU for this wonderful opportunity to learn more about my meditation practice, and for the lovely Download — to remind me when/if I fall out of step with my morning practice. You know I love the practical aspect of having something specific to review.

Leigh, this is so true what you said about the physical body. I think our bodies love meditation! It also gives us a chance to restore our physical equilibrium and balance. It’s a great thing to do if you feel physically “off”.

I understand what you’re saying about escalating life issues making it harder to calm down and meditate. It’s almost like you have to train yourself to meditate as a solution to the stress, rather than letting it gain momentum and escalate further.

One thing that can help with this is to read a calming, spiritual book like A Course in Miracles. This helps you to put different thoughts in your mind that are not so aggravating. Then you can calm down enough to possibly meditate.

Josie, you’re right that consistency is critical to enjoying meditation. If you are consistent, it becomes easier and more enjoyable, with better and better results. It also becomes a very positive habit that you can begin to look forward to each day. 🙂

I am new for meditation…And your information has given me a good idea on meditation…I have never done it….I am just going to try from today…..Let me see how it works on me….Thank you so much for your 3 Simple Ways Of Meditation…..

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